SYSTEM OR METHOD TO AUTOMATICALLY PROVISION A STORAGE VOLUME BY HAVING AN APP-AWARE BASED APPLIANCE IN A STORAGE CLOUD ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130111034A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Upadhya, Pavan Belur Gopalakrishna
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for automatic end-to-end storage provisioning by an application aware appliance of a software application served by a computing cloud based on a user request for a cloud served software application. Embodiments may automatically select and configure both the server computing resources and the storage volume/array to implement a cloud based software application. A user request may identify characteristics of requested server computing resources, but need only specify the desired software application, and the embodiments will automatically select/create a storage volume/array and copy the requested software application onto the selected/created storage volume/array. Embodiments may also automatically create a remote volume/array mirror to permit failover in case of a problem with the primary storage volume/array and/or intelligently choose the type of storage volume/array to match high speed data storage to high speed applications and lower speed data storage to less input/output intensive applications.

Claims

1. A method for automatic end-to-end storage provisioning by an application aware appliance of a software application served by a computing cloud based on a user request for a cloud served software application comprising:

receiving, at said application aware appliance, said user request for said cloud served software application, said user request for said cloud served software application containing identifying information about said requested cloud served software application including at least a server computing resource identification information portion and a software identification information portion;

selecting, by said application aware appliance, server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application from a server computing cloud that is a subset of said computing cloud based on said server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application;

identifying, by said application aware appliance, Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources;

selecting, by said application aware appliance, a software application storage template from a plurality of software application storage templates based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application, each software application storage template of said plurality of software application storage templates being associated with a copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with each software application storage template;

selecting, by said application aware appliance, a storage volume from a plurality of available storage volumes that are part of a storage resource cloud that is a subset of said computing cloud that meets storage requirements of said selected software application storage template;

copying, by said application aware appliance, said copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with said selected software application storage template to said selected storage volume;

identifying, by said application aware appliance, storage identification data of said selected storage volume;

mapping said storage identification data of said selected storage volume to said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources;

configuring, by said application aware appliance, said selected server computing resources to operate using said selected storage volume based on said storage identification data of said selected storage volume; and

operating, by said computing cloud, said selected server computing resources and said selected storage volume together to serve said requested cloud served software application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a management station sub-system that is part of said application aware appliance such that said management station sub-system handles said processes of receiving said user request for said cloud served software application, selecting said server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application, identifying said Host Bus Adapater (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources, and configuring said selected computing resources to operate using said selected storage volume;

providing a storage virtualization manager sub-system that is part of said application aware appliance such that said storage virtualization manager sub-system handles said processes of selecting said software application storage template from said plurality of software application storage templates, selecting a storage volume form a plurality of available storage volumes, copying said copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with said selected software application storage templat to said selected storage volume, identifying said storage identification data of said selected storage volume, and mapping said storage identification data of said selected storage volume to said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources;

sending, by said management station sub-system, at least said software identification information portion of said user request and said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server to said storage virtualization manager sub-system;

receiving, by said storage virtualization manager sub-system, at least said software identification information portion of said user request and said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server;

sending, by said storage virtualization manager sub-system, said storage identification data of said selected storage volume to said management station sub-system; and

receiving, by said management station sub-system, said storage identification data of said selected storage volume.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said process of selecting said server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application from said server computing cloud based on said server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application further comprises:

forwarding, by said application aware appliance, said server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application to a server management resource of said server computing cloud;

selecting, by said server management resource of said server computing cloud, said server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application from said server computing cloud based on said forwarded server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application;

identifying, by said server management resource of said server computing cloud, said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources; and

delivering, by said server management resource of said server computing cloud, said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) details of said selected server computing resources to said application aware appliance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said process of selecting said storage volume from said plurality of available storage volumes that meets said storage requirements of said selected software application storage template further comprises intelligently evaluating input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application and further basing said selection of said storage volume on said intelligently evaluated input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said intelligently evaluated input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application are at least one of a group consisting of:

high speed video streaming, high speed audio streaming, and basic shared file storage.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating, by said application aware appliance, a remote volume mirror of said selected storage volume; and

rerouting, by said application aware appliance, input/output communications to said remote volume mirror when said selected storage volume has failed.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating, by said application aware appliance, a new software application storage template when a matching software application storage template is not found for said requested cloud served software application; and

provisioning, by said application aware appliance, said new software application storage template with software based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said user request for said cloud served software application does not contain storage requirement identification information such that said process of selecting said software application storage template from said plurality of software application storage templates based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application is based on software identification information and not storage requirements information such that a user does not need to know technical information about storage requirements to request said cloud served software application.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said processes of said method for automatic end-to-end storage provisioning by said application aware appliance of said software application served by said computing cloud based on said user request for said cloud served software application are performed automatically without user information once said user request is sent to said application aware appliance.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said process of copying said copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with said selected software application storage template to said selected storage volume is performed via a volume copy from said selected software application storage template to said selected storage volume.

11. A application aware appliance system for automatic end-to-end storage provisioning of a software application served by a computing cloud based on a user request for a cloud served software application comprising:

an application/service request reception sub-system that receives said user request for said cloud served software application, said user request for said cloud served software application containing identifying information about said requested cloud served software application including at least a server computing resource identification information portion and a software identification information portion;

a server computing resources selection sub-system that selects server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application from a server computing cloud that is a subset of said computing cloud based on said server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application;

a HBA identification sub-system that identifies Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources;

a software application storage template selection sub-system that selects a software application storage template from a plurality of software application storage templates based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application, each software application storage template of said plurality of software application storage templates being associated with a copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with each software application storage template;

a storage volume selection sub-system that selects a storage volume from a plurality of available storage volumes that are part of a storage resource cloud that is a subset of said computing cloud that meets storage requirements of said selected software application storage template;

a copy application software sub-system that copies said copyable installation of said requested cloud served software application associated with said selected software application storage template to said selected storage volume;

a storage identification sub-system that identifies storage identification data of said selected storage volume;

a storage mapping sub-system that maps said storage identification data of said selected storage volume to said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources; and

a server computing resources configuration sub-system that configures said selected server computing resources to operate using said selected storage volume based on said storage identification data of said selected storage volume such that said computing cloud may operate said selected server computing resources and said selected storage volume together to serve said requested cloud served software application.

12. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 further comprising:

a management station sub-system that is part of said application aware appliance such that said management station sub-system includes said application/service request reception sub-system, said server computing resources selection sub-system, said HBA identification sub-system, and said server computing resources configuration sub-system;

a storage virtualization manager sub-system that is part of said application aware appliance such that said storage virtualization manager sub-system includes said software application storage template selection sub-system, said storage volume selection sub-system, said copy application software sub-system, said storage identification sub-system, and said storage mapping sub-system;

wherein said management station sub-system further sends at least said software identification information portion of said user request and said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server to said storage virtualization manager sub-system and receives said storage identification data of said selected storage volume from said storage virtualization sub-system; and

said storage virtualization sub-system receives said at least said software identification information portion of said user request and said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server from said management station sub-system and sends said storage identification data of said selected storage volume to said management station sub-system to said management station sub-system

13. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 wherein said server computing resources selection sub-system further forwards said server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application to a server management resource of said server computing cloud such that said server management resource of said server computing cloud selects said server computing resources for running said requested cloud served software application from said server computing cloud based on said forwarded server computing resource identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application, identifies said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) data of said selected server computing resources, and delivers said Host Bus Adapter (HBA) details of said selected server computing resources to said application aware appliance

14. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 wherein said storage volume selection sub-system further intelligently evaluates input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application and bases said selection of said storage volume on said intelligently evaluated input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application

15. The application aware appliance system of claim 14 wherein said intelligently evaluated input/output characteristics of said requested cloud served software application are at least one of a group consisting of:

high speed video streaming, high speed audio streaming, and basic shared file storage.

16. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 further comprising a remote volume mirror creation sub-system that creates a remote volume mirror of said selected storage volume and reroutes input/output communications to said remote volume mirror when said selected storage volume has failed.

17. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 further comprising:

a software application storage template creation sub-system that creates a new software application storage template when a matching software application storage template is not found for said requested cloud served software application; and

a new software application storage template provisioning sub-system that provisions said new software application storage template with software based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application.

18. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 wherein said user request for said cloud served software application does not contain storage requirement identification information such that said process of selecting said software application storage template from said plurality of software application storage templates based on said software identification information portion of said user request for said cloud served software application is based on software identification information and not storage requirements information such that a user does not need to know technical information about storage requirements to request said cloud served software application.

19. The application aware appliance system of claim 11 wherein said copy application software sub-system performs copies via a volume copy from said selected software application storage template to said selected storage volume.